Question: I’ve tried to take your advice and look for the right Face Weight, Pile Density and Tuft Twist to last 10-15 years. The only places that I can find who have these specifications listed on their carpet samples are the big box retailers. The local carpet retailer near me don’t list the carpet specifications on their samples. The salespeople might know the face weights but often don’t know the Tuft Twist or Pile Density. The one carpet I’m considering buying that fits in our budget is a Martha Stewart Nylon from Home Depot. I’m carpeting 288 sq feet (den area with lots of traffic and furniture) and have $1000 budget. They will install and give memory foam pad for that price. I’m concerned that density is only 1613 but face weight is 43.6. Their samples don’t show the Tuft Twist rating either. Why Don’t All Flooring Retailers List Carpet Specifications on their Carpet Samples? Thanks, Tom

Answer:

Many locally owned carpet dealers do list all or some the carpet specs on their carpet samples, but some do not list any at all. They might think the customer should select their new carpet based on price, color and perhaps a durability rating like Shaw’s PAR Rating System. I firmly believe it’s very important for homeowners to have complete access to all the carpet specifications. It’s the only way to determine the grade or quality level of the carpet in question, and to be able to determine if the carpet would be a good choice based on the homeowners individual needs, goals, lifestyle and budget. Take my Free Carpet Foot Traffic Test to see what grade of carpet may be right for your home.

Not all locally owned dealers are honest and reputable, I am sorry to say, and some carpet salespeople are reluctant take the time to provide their customers with carpet specifications because it can be a “hassle” to do so. The problem is partly due to private labeling, retail competition, and partly due to salesperson laziness. Some carpet retailers simply don’t want you to be able to shop around for the lowest price (comparison shop) so they limit the amount carpet information available to the customer. They may even change the style and color names to make it difficult to comare prices with other local retailers. I think that’s what you may have encountered with your recent local carpet dealer visits.

Here’s what you need to know:

Every locally owned carpet dealer has three ways to locate the carpet specifications you are looking for:

1. They can call the Carpet manufacturer – most carpet mills are happy to fax or email the spec sheet.

2. They can go online to their carpet mill account to find the specs. This may require a store manager to get the info.

3. They can call their carpet mill rep to get the information. Every dealer has the cell phone number to their account rep.

It’s true that the carpet manufacturers are not putting the detailed construction information on their carpet samples like they used to in the past, but any decent carpet salesperson should be willing to get you the information you seek. However, you have to ask for it and be patient enough to wait for the information to be acquired, and it may take a day or two for the salesperson to get it. Most homeowners take several carpet samples home for a few days and narrow their carpet selections down to three or four good choices and then ask for the spec sheets for them all to compare them all side by side. Take your time making your final selection and don’t be afraid to take a week or two to think about it. Never let any salesperson pressure you into buying right now for any reason. It’s common for salespeople to urge you into buying right now by saying the sale will be ending soon or that the current prices are about to increase.

Big Box stores and corporately owned carpet chains have been known to use private labels on their carpet samples to prevent consumers from comparison shopping, but Home Depot and Lowe’s apparently have negotiated with the carpet makers to have some of the carpet specifications shown on their samples and I think they are wise for doing so. It certainly helps them “seem” be more transparent in that area. Unfortunately they may not be as transparent when it comes to providing quality installations and customer service after the sale. From what I have read, many homeowners who have had a carpet complaint of some sort “after the sale” have not been happy with the way they were treated, often having to call numerous times to try to get a remedy, only to find that no one is ready and willing to step up and accept responsibility for the customer complaint at hand. This is another reason why I prefer buying carpet from a local dealer over the big box stores. I firmly believe locally owned carpet retailers have much better customer service before, during and after the sale.

Tom, The Carpet you are considering is a decent quality nylon frieze-style carpet. It looks to me like a 10-year carpet if well cared for and if you have medium foot traffic in your home. It has good face-weight but low pile density (1613) as you know. The pile height is almost one inch (.98) and will contribute to the matting down of the pile over a 10 year period. For a frieze I recommend a pile height of no more than 3/4″ for the best wear and the least amount of matting. The taller the pile height the more prone the carpet is to matting, regardless of what fiber is selected. Carpets made of nylon will always wear better and longer than any other fiber – all other construction specifications being equal. Learn more about Carpet Fibers

The $1000 price tag is reasonable for the 32 yards that you require. Basically you are buying a $20 per yard carpet and paying an additional $10 per yard for the pad and installation combined. I think this is a good choice overall but this carpet will probably not last for 15 years in your application with high foot traffic as you have stated. Personally I would not opt for the memory foam pad, I would choose an 8-pound density Rebond pad. I think there is way too much hype associated with the memory foams and not enough resilient support as a frieze style requires.

Follow-up response:

Thanks a lot Alan! This was very helpful. I just got a recommendation of another local dealer that I will go to today. I will patiently wait for the specs as you mentioned and get spec sheets. I think I’ll shop around a little more and get a shorter pile height as you suggested. I’ll look for 3/4 inch nap or shorter! I hope the dealer I’m going to today is honest and reputable! Tom

Visit my website to learn more about carpet specifications and how to select the right carpet for you… http://www.abccarpets.com